The Chicago Police Department of recklessly initiated a car chase that led to a crash on the South Side that killed an 11-year-old boy days before Christmas, a lawsuit filed Monday by the boy's family claims.

The suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court alleges officers disregarded public safety on Dec. 21 as they chased a man in an allegedly stolen vehicle that crashed into an SUV, killing Donovan Turnage. Authorities said Rockie Douglas, 34, fled after the crash and was arrested in Milwaukee on Christmas Eve, capping a spree of carjackings and robberies.

Police shouldn’t have initiated the chase or — failing that — should have cut it off, said Martin Dolan, the Turnage family’s attorney. The suit describes the neighborhood as a “highly congested, commercial and residential area” and alleges that police didn’t activate sirens as they ignored traffic signals.

“They created a dangerous condition by doing what they did,” Dolan said.

The crash happened as the Turnages drove on Garfield Boulevard through a green light at Halsted Street on their way to get haircuts before Christmas, the family alleges. The SUV spun and Donovan was thrown from the vehicle. The family said he was wearing a seat belt, Dolan said.

“A child’s life was cut short by something that never should have happened in the first place,” said his mother, Annette Turnage, in written statement. “I want justice for my son. No family should have to endure this kind of heartbreak.”

s Office spokeswoman Sally Daly has said prosecutors plan to charge him once he is returned from Wisconsin, where he is in Kenosha County jail. He faces numerous charges on both sides of the border.

Shannon Breymaier, a spokeswoman for the city’s law department, declined to comment because she had not seen the lawsuit.